Noiseless steam and water mixer.



G. A. WELD.

NOISELESS STEAM AND WATER MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2. i912.

1 152 459. PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

c osen .A. were),

01* WINCHE TE MA ACH SETTS.-

NOISELESS STEAM AND WATER MIXER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

at ntedsept 1915.

Application filed August 2, 1912 Serial No. 712,927.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonen citizen .of the United States, and resident of Winchester, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Noiseless Steam and Water Mixers, of which the following is a specification. I

This inventionrelates to a mixer designed to produce hot water by forcing steam into a chamber to which water at ordinary temperatures is admitted and from which the hot water is drawn.

The particularobject of the invention is to provide :a means for so .controllingthe admission of steam to the apparatus that the water issuing from the device will have approximately a predetermined constant temperature, and to .do this without causing vibration and noise.

These objects are accomplished by I the means hereinafter described and shown in the drawings in two possible embodiments.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a central sectional View, partly in elevation, of one embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing another embodiment of the invention.

The same reference characters indicate the,

same parts in all the figures. I

Describing first :the construction of that form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus comprises a chamber lwhic'h may be called a mixing chamber and is preferably supportedon a suitable pedestal base 2. In the chamber 1 her 1 at one side thereof. Through the connection t and the outer chamber wall is a passage into whichextends a pipe 5 screwed lnto place. A tubular element or tube 6 extends from a point in the bottom of theinner chamber or cup 3, preferably at the middle thereof, upwardly through the inner chamber or cup to a termination in or near the plane of the rim of the chamber or cup, and isopen through the bottom of the latter. A pipe 7 is connected with the wall ofchamber 1 below the cup 23.

Pipe 7 conducts water from any source of supply at the ordinary temperatures to the mixing chamber, and a part of thewater is adapted to flow through the tube 6 in the cup 3, while the rest of the water passes around the cup. Such pipe 7 may therefore is an inner chamber or cup 3 connected at 4 with the wall or cham-' be considered as the water inlet of the mixer.

The pipe .5 is asteam pipe which conducts steam intothe annular space in the cup 3 surrounding the tube 6. steam nozzle introducing steam into the mixing chamber and will be so called hereafter in the description.

From the upper part of the mixing chamber leads an outlet or eduction pipe 9 for conducting the hot water mixture of steam with the to the places part of the eduction pipe is somewhat .enlarged, or otherwise made to form a space or chamber-.10 in which is contained a thermostatic element 11. -'Z[-his thermostatic element passes through and is 12 forming one end of the chamber 10, It is connected with a valve chamber 13 to which a supply pipe 14:, containing water or other motive fluid under pressure, extends and from which a conduit 15 leads. The thermostatic element and valve chamber 13, with the internal parts, constitute a thermostat which may be, and preferably is, made according to the principles explained in my patent for thermostat No. 934,116 granted September 141, 1909 to which reference may be had for a full description of the thermostat. I wish to say, however, that the particular character .of-the thermostat is not important, nor is the point at which, or the manner in which it is located, as the thermostat may ibeof any character and design, other than that illustrated, suitable for ac complishing the results hereinafter described.

The outlet pipe 15 leads toa 1 ressure chamber 16 supported by a yoke l secured to a plug 18 which is screwed into an opening in the mixing chamber. Pressure chamber 16 is closed, and one of its walls is formed by a flexible diaphragm connected to ava 'lye stem '19,'which passes through the plug 1 8 into the interiorofthemixingchamber, the stem being properly packed to prevent *leakage of the water. sCarried by said stem is a valve 20 so formed and arranged as to seat against the rim 21 of the steam nozzle and :theend 22 of the water tube 6. Said valve is thus a closure for the steam nozzle adapted to prevent inflow of steam when seated, as shown in Fig. *1, and to regulate the rate of admission of steam'according to "the distance from the seat. In the form here shown the valve is a flat disk produced by, :the cold water supply Such cup acts as a where it is required for use. A

held by a pipe fitting having an orifice 23 registering with the passage through the tube 6, so as to let water issue from said tube even when the valve is seated. The valve may be otherwise formed, however, and its shape is not material provided only it is adapted to close the annular space of' the steam nozzle at the end thereof. The stem of the valve must be :so arranged that when moved back'and forth in the only manner possible it will respectively seat and unseat the valve. shown, pressure in the diaphragm chamber, forces the valve against'its seat and a spring In the arrangement 24: unseats the valve. A branch 25 leading from the outlet pipe 15 permits'escape of r the motive fluid from the chamber 16 when thevalVe is opened. The diaphragm chamber'with its diaphragm, and the opposmg spring 24:, constitute one possible embodiment of means for moving the valve under the ,control of the thermostat, and may be cor- "is shut ofi, water can still flow through pipe 7 into the mixing chamber, and also through the tube 6 andthe valve aperture 23 to the body of the mixing chamber to temper the watertherein, If desired, the valve may be made to close the end ofthe tube 6 as well as the steam nozzle,-and in this case there is no flow of water through the interior passage of the'steam nozzle when the valve is closed.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 is similar in all respects to that shown in Fig. 1," except in the following particulars. The steam inlet or nozzle instead of being annular, is a simple tube 30 extending from one side-0f the mixing chamber, to which the steam pipe 5 is connected. The valve 20 is arranged as already described so as to v seat against the end 'of the nozzle 30. The only variation'in this form of the valve is that it is fitted to the nozzle 30 so as to entirely close the end thereof. It may be observedthat as a feature of construction, the

mixing chamber, steam nozzle, and the water tube 6, are all made as a single'casting, in the form shown inFig. 1, and that the nozzle '30 is cast integral with the shell of the mixing. chamber in the form shown in The advantage of arranging the stem valve in the mixing chamber and having it closed against the end of the steam nozzle is'that. when closed it prevents flow of water back into the nozzle. -.In all the. other types of steam and water mixer with which I am acquainted, the valvefor the steaminlet is located outside of the mixing chamber,

and as a result water is able to enter the tegrity of the mixer and piping. In my ap paratus the objectionable noise and vibration are entirely eliminated. I believe that the idea of mounting a thermostatically controlled valve inside of a water mixer so as to close against the extreme end of the steam nozzle or inlet and to prevent water from entering such nozzle or inlet when closed, is novel with the present invention and it is this combination which I particularly desire to protect by patent."

I claim:

1. A steam and water mixer comprising a mixing chamber having a continuously open water inlet, a water outlet, a steam nozzle projecting into the chamber, a valve in said chamber arranged to seat on the outlet of said steam nozzle and means for opening and closing said valve.

2. A steam and water mixer comprising a mixing chamber having a continuously open water inlet, a water outlet, a steam nozzle projecting into thechamber, a valve in said chamber adjacent to the steam nozzle arranged to move against and from the end of the latter, and means for so moving said valve.

8. A steam and water mixer comprising a mixing chamber having a continuously open water inlet and a water outlet, a steam nozzle extending into said chamber and having a valve seat on its end, a valve within said chamber arranged to co-act with said seat, and means for moving the valve toward and from said seat.

4;. A steam and water mixer comprising a chamber, a steam conduit entering said chamber, a water conduit entering the chamber and passing longitudinally through the steam conduit, and a valve within the mixer arranged to close and open the steam space between the walls of the steam and water conduits at the end of such space, and constructed to leave the water conduit always open.

5. A steam and 'water mixer comprising a chamber, a cup within said chamber having external steam communication through the wall of the chamber, a tube passing through the interior of said cup and having external water communication through a wall of the chamber, the termination of said tube and the rim of said cup being approximately in the same plane, a valve contained in the chamber and constructed to seat against the cup and tube to close the outer end of the steam space in the cup leaving the tube open,

and controlled means for seating and unseating said valve.

6. A steam and Water mixer comprising a chamber, an annular steam nozzle in said chamber, means for conducting steam to said nozzle, a conduit for leading water into the space surrounded by said annular nozzle, said conduit having an opening within the chamber and outside of the nozzle, and means for opening and closing the nozzle, constructed to leave said conduit open at all times.

7. A steam and water mixer comprising a mixing chamber having a Water inlet and a hot water outlet, a steam nozzle projecting into said chamber with its outlet orifice above the water inlet, a valve arranged to close against the outlet orifice of said nozzle and being so constructed as to prevent inflow of water to the nozzle when closed, and means for opening and closing said valve.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE A. WELD.

l/Vitnesses:

G. L. J oHNsoN, P. W. PEzzE'r'rI.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

